A meeting between former U.S. Attorney General Eric Holder, who is now outside counsel for home-sharing service Airbnb, and members of the state Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus, scheduled for Friday, to discuss the company's anti-discrimination efforts was postponed amid threats of picketing by the state's powerful hotel workers' union.
According to an email obtained by the New York Law Journal, members of the caucus were advised Thursday evening that the meeting with Holder was postponed due to "logistical concerns." A future date for a meeting was not given, but "updates will be shared when available," caucus members were told in the email.
As the New York Law Journal first reported on Wednesday, Holder, a partner at Covington & Burling, and Laura Murphy, a former director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington legislative office and a policy strategist now advising Airbnb, were slated to discuss Airbnb's anti-discrimination efforts with the caucus (NYLJ, July 19) and how the home-sharing platform "impacts communities of color." Murphy compiled a report in September on how Airbnb plans to fight discrimination.
In January 2016, amid complaints of discrimination and racism by hosts, Airbnb hired Holder to help create an anti-discrimination policy.
The state's influential New York Hotel and Motel Trades Council, which has been campaigning against Airbnb, had threatened to picket the meeting.
Airbnb and the union declined to comment on the postponed meeting. Assemblyman N. Nick Perry, chairman of the caucus, the caucus' executive director, Kyle Ishmael, did not return requests for comment.